


Insert Witty Title Here

by emocezi



Category: The Losers (2010), The Losers - All Media Types
Genre: Alpha Males, Cougar is an asshole, Dubious Consent, I swear., Jensen asked for it, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Roque's just trying to help., Shifterverse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-10-05
Updated: 2012-10-05
Packaged: 2017-11-15 17:00:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 5
Words: 11,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/529527
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emocezi/pseuds/emocezi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone is a shifter.  The entire population of the world, not just a select few.  The lucky ones mature into Alpha's.  The unlucky ones mature into beta's and are expected to rejoice in having their freedom's taken away after they've been chosen by an Alpha.</p><p>But not this beta, he'll fight tooth and nail to be his own person, even if he has to go toe-to-toe with every Alpha in the world.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Basic Instincts

The day after he turned eighteen Jake Jensen joined the army. He was given a set of forms to fill out about the form he took during the nights of the full moon and then shoved into an interrogation room where a nasty looking guy that reeked Alpha glared at him and pushed him into a chair.

Jake blinked up at him, already having figured out what this was about. He hadn't matured yet, didn't know if he was going to turn out Alpha or beta. This was the armies attempt at trying to figure out which side of the coin he was going to end up on. Jake didn't have the heart to tell them he'd had tougher looking interrogators in the form of social workers during his misspent youth, moving from orphanage to foster home.

“You afraid of me boy?”

“Should I be?” Jensen stared up at the man, refusing to break eye contact even as the other man growled and got into his personal space, trying to unnerve the younger man. Make him show a sign of beta or Alpha. “I mean, sure you're strong. But smell isn't everything man.” That got a half snort of amusement and then the man had turned and left.

Next came a slim woman carrying a cup of water. She offered it to him with a gentle smile and sat on the chair across from him. Obviously a beta from the way she refused to meet his eyes, fingers shifting and drawing designs on the table like she was nervous around him. Jake sniffed at the liquid, making sure there was nothing but water in it before he took a sip, smacking his lips.

“So, what's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?” He grinned at her, nudging her chair with his foot and winking when she glanced up. “Come on honey, no need to be shy. What's your name?”

“Sarah.” It was barely a whisper and Jake narrowed his eyes, wondering who had made her so inverted. It was obvious she had a mate, from the livid bite mark on her neck that couldn't have been more then a couple of weeks old. Someone had taken the time to claim her and beat the spirit out of her, leaving her terrified to make even the most basic of contact with anyone else.

“Sarah huh. You know, that's my sister's name.” It wasn't of course, not that the girl needed to know that. “Man she makes the best chocolate chip cookies. I could live off those things for the rest of my life. But then I'd die of liver failure from all the sugar, and possibly scurvy from not getting enough vitamin C from my oranges.” Jake rambled until Sarah relaxed enough to shoot him a smile.

“Are you done with your water?” Sarah intoned quietly and Jensen nodded, letting her take it from him. If he made even the slightest move to help her it would be marked as a beta behavior. Sarah's hand was on the glass when Jensen grabbed her wrist and tugged her down to whisper in her ear. To the men watching, it looked like he was flirting, and his whispers were too low to make out, even with the bugs in the room.

“You don't have to put up with the abuse. Slit his throat while he's sleeping. Make it look like another Alpha did it.” Sarah jerked back, terror in her eyes at the idea of disobeying her mate to the extent of taking his life and fled the room. Jensen relaxed in his chair and smirked after her, letting the men in the other room take what they would from the exchange of words.

Next came a man in a lab coat. He took three vials of Jake's blood and scurried back to his lap, no doubt testing the blood to see if Jake was allergic to anything that would hinder his joining the army.

Finally, a grumpy looking Sargent stomped into the room with a pen and a clip board, slumped into the chair across from him and _glared_. Jake blinked for a moment and then grinned over at the other man, which made him glare harder. “Mr. Jensen.”

“Yep?” Jake popped the p, still grinning like a loon. “What can I do you for?”

“An Alpha comes up to you in a bar and tells you to go out the back door and get on your knees. Do you a) punch him out, b) comply or c) tell him your mate wouldn't appreciate you getting on your knees for another alpha?”

“I'd punch him out.”

“Why?”

“Because I'm saving myself for my wedding night.” Jake grinned, then winked at the Sargent who rolled his eyes and copied down his answer, then moved onto the next question.

“You come across a beta in heat. Do you a) see if they are mate-marked and continue on your way, b) take them regardless of a mate-mark, c) keep them safe until a suitable mate is found or d) mate-mark them yourself?”

“Most likely a mix of a and d.” Jake answered thoughtfully, stroking his chin as if he had more then a patch of barely there peach fuzz.

“Why?”

“Cause if they're fugly, I ain't marking that.” The Sargent snorted in amusement and marked down his answers. 

“One last question. If the technology for male pregnancy ever gets off the ground. Would you participate and have a litter of cubs?”

“I would rather shoot myself in the knees.” 

“Why?”

“Because I'm not father material. And I don't overly enjoy the thought of cleaning up baby vomit for five years after the little parasites are born.” It wouldn't do to tell them that babies made him weak kneed. That he would give anything to make his three year old niece stop crying when she scraped her knee. That he loved the quiet time when he got to tuck his niece in and read her a bedtime story. Let them think he was a hardass, that he liked the thought of a military career rather then the idea of starting a family.

The Sargent nodded, wrote down his answer and handed him a sheaf of papers and a pen. “Fill these out and hand them to the man outside. Welcome to basic training Mr. Jensen.”

XxX XxX

Jake bounced through basic as easily as any other recruit. He had a smart mouth that kept getting him into trouble. And when put on a unit to see how well he played with other children, he would follow orders only as long as he agreed with them. The moment he thought something was a dumb idea guaranteed to get everyone killed, he made up his own plans and carried them out. Usually with mixed results.

It got him noticed. 

General Coleman had taken the time to observe the young recruit. Gone over his file and noted that while the boy hadn't reached maturity yet, it was noted that he would most likely assert himself as an Alpha when the time came.

Coleman called one of his Colonels aside, shoved the file at him and let Clay's fortitude for collecting misguided soldiers guide his judgment on Jake Jensen.

At first Clay wanted nothing to do with him, seeing a kid fresh out of basic and still green behind the ears. But the more he watched, the more he heard about Jake's newest attempt at insubordination that had lead to victory at the cost of yet another week of latrine duty. It didn't matter that he'd gotten through another training exercise, all that mattered was the fact that he hadn't listened to his superior officer.

Rather then come face to face with the boy, Clay signed off on a recommendation for SERE training and left it at alone. If Jake washed out, that would be that. But if he stayed, let himself be molded into something stronger then what he was. Well then, he might have what it took to be a Loser.

XxX XxX

It was roughly a year and a half after Clay had signed off on SERE training for Jake Jensen. Enough time for the Colonel to have forgotten about the young shifter that had great potential. It wasn't until he'd been handed a manilla file full of forms to sign that he'd remembered. He read through Jake's file, noting the good and the bad. 

Nothing too extraordinary, though Jake showed aptitude for a more specialized line of work. Which was always a good thing. No one wanted the screamer who'd scraped through SERE.

He noted that Jake still hadn't matured, though from the notes next to that particular fact, it was stated that they felt he would turn Alpha. That was the deciding point for Clay. He didn't need a beta coming on board and fucking up his team. Considering they were all unmated Alpha's with the exception of Pooch, shoving an unmarked beta in their midst would be the equivalent of starting a war. Clay signed off on the appropriate paperwork and prepared to welcome Jensen onto the team. 

Now it was just hoping Roque behaved and didn't try to shiv the new guy, like he'd done with the last techie who'd ended up mouthing off about his extensive knife collection and what it meant about overcompensation.

XxX XxX

Jake took a deep breath and squared his shoulders, then pushed open the door and stepped into the briefing room. He'd been able to feel the Alpha vibes being projected from where he'd stood in the hall, not that they affected him any. He didn't feel the need to prove himself, or to show his stomach in a show of submission. He didn't feel anything except a burning need to make a good impression.

Jake had never had any problems with being the center of attention, especially when it kept certain attention off of his sister. So he slapped a mile wide grin on his face and tossed off a sloppy salute, glancing about the room quickly to take in the faces of the men he would be working with from now on.

“Pissy, pissy, serious business, mated. Oh goodie, that makes me the prize in the bag of cereal.” Jake muttered and forced himself to stay relaxed under the laser focus of his new unit. He hadn't even known someone had been pulling for him to get through SERE. He'd gone on a few missions and had been thrown a set of forms detailing his transfer onto a specialized team utilized for extractions and other sorts of fun and dangerous work.

“Corporal.” 

“Colonel?”

“We're not going to have any trouble from you...are we?”

“...Define trouble.” Jensen stifled a wince when the other pissy guy, a huge black man with a scar down the left side of his face growled loudly and pulled a huge knife out of nowhere to pick at his fingernails with. 

“Aww leave the kid alone. It's been a while since we've had any fresh meat.” That was the mated guy. Jensen glanced at the last member of the party out of the corner of his eye. Serious business was in serious lurker mode, glaring at Jake from under the brim of his hat like the new guy was going to steal cake from under his nose. Which would have been funny and potentially awesome if there was actually cake for a promotion of this sort. But sadly, there was never any cake.

Colonel Pissy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, then pointed to each of the men and introduced them. Like Jake hadn't spent the entire night digging through secure files to peak into things that had been redacted until all you could read was _Montezuma.....with a spoon........flying.....nuns_. 

“Corporal Jensen, this is Captain Roque, Sergeant Alverez and Sergeant Porteous. Boys, this is Corporal Jensen. Play nice, I had to tweak some strings to get him. I don't want him broken on the first day.”

“Yes boss.” Mated, also known as Sergeant Porteous spoke up, then glanced at Jake and smirked. “And just so you don't make a total fool out of yourself, I'm Pooch, that's Roque, and that's Cougar. Clay answers to Clay or boss. Or in dire emergencies like when there's brass around, Colonel.”

“Ooookay. Good to know.” Jake shrugged and ignored the fact that the newly appointed Cougar was watching him like he was a small wounded animal. “What sort of fun things are we doing today boss?”

“It's called hazing, fresh meat.” Roque bared his teeth in something that vaguely resembled a smile.

“Is that supposed to scare me? Oh wait...you can't get a reading on me can you? Man, that's gotta suck for you.” Jensen grinned again and his dufflebag beside the door, pulling out a laptop and settling himself on the floor. 

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Roque snapped, pushing himself half out of his chair before Pooch rolled his eyes and threw a rolled up gum wrapper at him.

“He hasn't matured yet, obviously.”

“Wait...so he could be a beta?” Jake carefully ignored the way Cougar's eyes raked over him at Roque's exclamation. “What the hell are we supposed to do if he turns out to be a beta Clay? I ain't letting you rip my throat out over some skinny _kid_.”

“Been a long time since someone called me a kid.” Jensen muttered to himself.

“Relax Roque. All test results point towards Alpha.”

“Like that means anything. Smart little shit like him could probably twist the results to whatever he wants them to say.” 

“I doubt it.” Clay snorted to himself and went back to flipping through a thick file. “It's hard to trick the psych evals.”

“Yep.” Jensen added, popping the last letter. “Pretty hard to lie when the shrinks get into your brain.” He glanced up when Roque stood and staked over to where he sat, radiating Alpha in an attempt to make Jensen show his true nature. 

“You wanna fight me?”

“Not particularly.” 

“You wanna show me your belly?”

“Why, do you want to show me yours? Is that some sort of kinky thing? Cause I didn't sign on for that level of fucked up.” Cougar snorted softly and Pooch threw back his head and cackled. Even Clay cracked a smile. Roque rolled his eyes and thumped the top of Jake's head.

“You'd better pray you end up Alpha kid.”

“Yeah, cause ending up as someone's plaything is the best thing ever.” Jake snarled in return. “Beta doesn't mean you willingly submit, asshole.” He ignored the looks of surprise at his outburst and went back to watering his crops on Farmville. 

“Please, explain to us what beta means, since you know all about it then.” Roque sneered.

“It means you have to be stronger, faster and smarter then every Alpha out there. Because if they get you on your back, if they claim you, that's it. I end up beta, I'll rip out my own throat before I'd let some asshole Alpha mate-mark me.” Cougar's eyebrows rose, and even Clay looked shocked at the outburst.

“It can't be that bad.” Pooch said after a couple of seconds.

“Ask your mate how much she likes being ordered around.” Jensen sneered. “How happy she is to wake up every morning and know that her will is really yours. That every thought in her head has to be run by you first.”

“I would never-”

“Yes you would. You just don't know you're doing it.” That stopped Pooch cold. “That's what it is to be Alpha.” 

“Kids gotta point.” Roque pointed out, cleaning his teeth with one of his blades. “He's also feisty. I like that.” Jensen rolled his eyes and ignored the soft growl that Cougar gave.

“In case you morons didn't get the memo, I'm not beta.”

“Yet.” Roque muttered, grinning when Jensen flipped him off.


	2. Fur Pile

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jensen had never dealt well with shifting around others.

Jensen had never dealt well with shifting around others. His animal form was smaller then he'd like, though the razor sharp claws were an added bonus, helping to deter the shifters that got a little too curious. He wasn't too pleased with the knowledge that Clay had dropped only days before the full moon, that everyone shifted in a pack. He could handle anything they threw at him when he was human, but in Caracal form, there were only so many places he could escape to if things turned sour.

XxX XxX

Shifting still stings a little. He's been told it goes away once he matures, but he's not looking forward to that, since it brings a whole new set of problems out to play. So instead of thinking about _that_ , which hopefully is still light years away from happening. He takes a careful breath, lets the moon wash over his shirtless back, and pushes. He grunts at the snap, crackle, pop of his vertebra, hisses when his jaw snaps and reforms, and yelps as the change completes and he's standing on four paws, stomach clenching dangerously.

The rest of them have shifted already and Jensen feels his spine start to arch, the fur on his tail sticking out like a bottle brush. Roque and Clay are huge and dangerous and he swallows the spitting hiss that wants to boil of his throat. Pooch seems the least deadly out of the three canines, and Jensen very carefully ignores the way Cougar watches him the way he's been ignoring it for a month now.

Jensen's fine in faking bravado, even though he know the size of his tail, and more the likely his scent is giving away the secret that he's terrified out of his tiny cat skull. Roque licks his chops once and takes a step forward and that's it. Jensen spits viciously, turns, and streaks off to the nearest copse of trees to huddle in the uppermost branches the way he and his baby sister had on nights when they were stuck out in the open and the mad ones prowled around below, howling out their hunger.

Roque is on him before he's half way there, but rather then the feeling of huge jaws crushing his spine, the Rottweiler simply bowls him over his his head and licks a sloppy, wet stripe from his flank to his tufted ear. Jensen yowls at the indignity and bats viciously at the larger shifters head. Roque sinks back on his haunches and grins, tongue hanging out of the side of his mouth and waits for the rest of the team to arrive.

Jensen stays low as the Losers form a rough circle around him, unsure of what's happening. He can't help the low rumbling growl that pours from his throat, or the way his back arches in a show of bravado. Make yourself bigger and the predators might leave you alone.

Clay rolls his eyes and flops onto the ground, poking his nose at Jensen who barely restrained the urge to swat Clay. Instead he forces himself to come out of the defensive pose, body poised on a tightrope of fight or flight. This is his new team, the people he's supposed to trust with his life. If he can't trust them in his animal form, what chance does he have to know that they'll have his back in a life or death situation?

Clay slunk back to sit on his haunches. He raised his head and let out a low howl that echoed over the land. The rest of the group joined in with various noises. From Pooch's pained sound to Cougar's near human scream of defiance. Jensen stayed silent, unsure of what they expected of him. The echo faded and a heartbeat passed before a flurry of motion had Jensen spitting and hissing and very suddenly buried under furry limbs.

Cougar had lunged forward first and seemed to be using most of his strength to keep Jensen from being crushed under the weight of the idiots that made up his team. Though the way his eyes were zeroed in on Jensen's made the hacker reevaluate his first thought. He narrowed his eyes, tufted ears flicking back to show his displeasure.

Cougar let out a low rumbling purr that Jensen refused to acknowledge, let alone reciprocate. This wasn't social hour, and it certainly wasn't letting Cougar get the idea that if he matured as a beta that he needed, let alone wanted, an Alpha.

Jensen laid his ears flat to his skull and growled. Rather then acknowledge the sound as a warning, Cougar chuffed softly, rubbed his cheek against Jensen's softly and then pressed his nose against the Caracals. Jensen hissed and Cougar started purring again. Asshole.

XxX XxX

He took his revenge for the stolen kiss three days later. Taking advantage of some down time to hack into Cougar's records and change a couple of details that wouldn't come to light until his records were accessed due to medical reasons or the unlikely event he was promoted to a higher rank then Sargent.

The sniper was now known as Carlita Alveraz on every piece of Government ID Jensen could get his digital fingers on. And down near the bottom, underneath Eyes: Brown and Hair: Black, where it used to say _Animal type: Mountian Lion ( Felis concolor)_. It now read _Short-tailed Chinchilla (Chinchilla brevicaudata)_ , because Jensen was nothing if not vindictive.


	3. Social Bonding Exercise

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pooch had gone ahead to 'borrow' a vehicle, which left Jensen half dragging Roque out of the building into the empty street.

Roque had gotten himself captured by Chechnian Black Widows. Islamic war widows whose husbands had been killed by Russian soldiers. Essentially an entire organization of women that made the women Clay dated look sane. And that was saying something.

They had to get him out, and the only people for the job were Jensen and Pooch. Clay was in the hospital with six broken ribs and a punctured lung thanks to being hit by a car. Cougar had gone radio silent two days prior, orders from Clay to protect his sniper and the rest of his team.

Then the Shahidka had gotten the drop on Roque, and Jensen was going to mock him endlessly for getting knocked out by women. He had nothing against women, didn't think they were weaker or less intelligent, it was just something to bug Roque about.

His cat-brain was giving him information. Smells and sounds detailing where each woman stood in relation to his own position. His human-brain was coming up with a plan with a lot of triangulation and numbers, explaining the vectors he needed to take them out with a minimum of fuss, noise and bullets.

He exchanged a glance with Pooch, not needing a lot of words to figure out the plan, considering the plan was pretty much 'burst-into-the-room-and-take-them-by-surprise'. It was a good plan, worked seven out of ten times, and Jensen just hoped this was one of those times that the enemy didn't know they were coming.

As it so happened, the Shahidka had no idea Roque was American, or part of a black ops team. The scar on his face was similar to the leader of a rebel army that they had been fighting for years, trying to take back control of their own lives and tired of living under the shadow of men. 

Once a tentative cease-fire had been called and the guns laid down, Pooch had been able to explain everything. Jensen had even pulled out his smartphone and pulled up pictures of both Bilal Shakir and William Roque to show that while they looked similar, they were not the same person. Surprisingly, the trio of Losers had left intact, though Roque was rather drugged up and missing a couple of fingernails.

Pooch had gone ahead to 'borrow' a vehicle, which left Jensen half dragging Roque out of the building into the empty street. The XO kept rubbing his cheek against Jensen's, which under normal circumstances would have worried the hacker that Roque was starting to show all the stalkerish habits of Cougar. As it was, it was just Roque reaffirming pack bonds and showing gratitude, considering he kept laughing at nothing, drugged out of his skull. Jensen was grateful it was only cheek rubbing and not Roque marking his territory through copious amounts of urine and scent marking.

XxX XxX

A very tense thirteen hours later and Cougar showed up, favoring his left side and with one hell of a black eye, but otherwise in one piece. He allowed Pooch to check over his injuries, then puffed up with indignation at catching Roque's scent covering Jensen, who hadn't had the time to shower. 

The hacker rolled his eyes and locked himself in his room, running a trace on a cellphone that could very possibly lead them to the man they had been sent here to capture. The army needed him alive. Cougar prowled around the door for three hours, sometimes knocking in Morse code, sometimes asking Jensen to let him in, sometimes growling loudly and kicking at the door, trying to break the lock. Everything Cougar tried only made Jensen angrier and angrier, wondering why in the hell Cougar was so interested in him. He wasn't mature, he showed no signs of being beta, he showed no weakness.

“Let me in.”

“Go away.”

“Jensen. Let me in.”

“I open this door it's gonna be to kick your ass. Go bug Pooch, I'm busy.”

“I just want to talk to you.”

“You really want me to open this door? Because you will be picking your teeth up off the floor if I do.” Cougar growled long and low and Jensen rolled his eyes and went back to poking through phone records. Such a fun way to kill time.

“Jensen, open this door.” That was Roque, and he didn't sound happy. The hacker huffed and set his laptop aside, a few trace programs scouring the internet for anything relating to the man they were after. He stalked over to the door and tugged it open, glaring at his XO and the sniper taking up the doorway.

“What the fuck do you assholes want?” Roque's nostrils flared, reminding Jensen that he still smelled like the man. Suddenly it all made sense and he rubbed his hands over his face.

“Why is the door locked?”

“Because I wanted some fucking privacy to run the trace without Cougar being in my space constantly. Since when do we have an open door policy around here?” Jensen snapped, moving back to the bed to root through his duffel for a towel and then pushing past both men to head for the bathroom. “Stop following me.”

“What do you want for supper?” The question had everyone stopping and Roque looked as shocked as Jensen for even asking. When Roque cooked, he didn't ask for opinions. You ate it or he shoved it down your throat. 

“Aww, I didn't know you cared.”

“Shut up Jensen.”

“Sir, yes Sir.” Jensen snapped off a salute and snickered, closing the bathroom door on Roque's scowling face and Cougar's glower. Everyone was going insane around him.

XxX XxX

Once he smelled like himself again things seemed to go back to normal. Normal being Cougar rubbing a hand over his arm and nodding in a way that made Jensen want to lash out. He went straight back into the bathroom and scrubbed Cougar's scent off his arm, then pulled on a long sleeved hoodie and sat in the corner with his laptop, keeping an eye out for the sniper.

“Pooch, can I ask you something?”

“Ask away.” Pooch spoke, not looking up from the carburetor he was cleaning.

“Do I come off as....beta?” Jensen winced at the word and had Pooch looking up in surprise.

“What?”

“Just. Cougar keeps trying to get his scent on me. It's annoying.”

“It's just Cougar being Cougar.”

“No, it's Cougar being an asshole who's going to get his ass kicked soon if he doesn't fucking stop.”

“So kick his ass then. It'll show him that you don't need him to watch your back.”

“I just...I don't get it. I'm not even mature. Why the hell is he acting like this?”

“You really wanna know?”

“ _Yes_.”

“He's marking his territory in the event you mature as a beta.” Jensen gaped, and Pooch shrugged. “Hey, you asked.”

“I'm gonna fucking kill him.” Jensen snarled, the sudden rage that swirled through his mind pushing the urge to change along his spine. He could feel his jaw tightening, skin starting to burn and itch. He pushed it back and down, turning into a seventeen pound cat would do nothing but show the sniper that he was getting under Jensen's skin, just like he meant to.

Cougar came into the room seconds later, blinking at the low growl resounding from Jensen when he passed close to the hacker. He stopped, meaning to figure out what was running through Jensen's mind when Pooch laughed and gestured at him to just keep moving. After a shift, Cougar outweighed Jensen, but when they were human, pissing off Jensen was liable to get him punched for his trouble. Cougar sniffed his displeasure and took a seat on the opposite side of the room, where he could keep an eye on Jensen.

“Stop looking at me.” Cougar raised an eyebrow, lips curling into a smirk that had Jensen snarling and moving from the living room to the kitchen where Roque was turning various ingredients into meatloaf. 

“What the fuck's up with you?”

“Cougar's an asshole.” Jensen snapped, then reached over and stole a green pepper strip, munching on it and glaring when the sniper strolled into the room and sunk into a chair on the opposite side of the table. “I will fuck you up. Stop _staring_ at me.”

Roque snickered, then dropped a pile of pepper strips in front of Jensen who promptly started chewing on them. Roque raised an eyebrow at the glare Cougar was shooting him, then smirked and reached over to ruffle Jensen's hair in a juvenile display of I-can-touch-him-and-he-doesn't-freak-out that had Jensen swatting at his hand absent mindedly.


	4. Heat of the Moment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> He was maturing into his worst nightmare and there was nothing he could do about it but hide here until it passed.

Roque wasn't looking for a mate, or a beta, or anything that might cause a distraction. He wasn't looking for a life long commitment, or a white picket fence. Two point five children and a dog. It wasn't him, wasn't in his plans, or his dreams. So it was a complete shock when the sudden urge to protect Jensen blindsided him after the hacker had come to his rescue.

He'd been woozy and out of it, the opium running like fire through his veins and kept him from thinking clearly. All he knew was that Jensen was there, solid and strong and dragging him away from the danger. His animal had been so close to the surface(Rottweiler, pack animal) and he needed to reaffirm the bonds of his pack, the absolute trust he had in the other men that watched his back as he watched theirs.

It wasn't until later that he realized what he'd done. Realized that his animal had imprinted on Jensen. Not matelike, nothing serious. It simply complicated things, made Roque more aware of Jensen, where he was in a room and such. If Jensen matured into an Alpha, they would stay close, stay friends, stay pack. If Jensen matured into a beta, it could get ugly, especially with the way Cougar shadowed Jensen's every step, laying his claim on a beta that wasn't even guaranteed to exist.

So he waited and watched, kept a careful eye on Jensen, ready to step in if Cougar's attentions got too much. He kept Jensen healthy, bringing him meals when he was on a streak in his breakdown of enemy communications, made him sleep at a decent hour when he was simply fiddling with his computer. It was the little things that showed Jensen that Roque was more then just his superior, it showed that he could be trusted.

XxX XxX

Three month's in Afghanistan playing _Uncle Sam says burn down that drug field_ later and they were back stateside. Jensen couldn't prove anything, but he was pretty sure the female Lieutenant Colonel that had just gone into heat and requested Cougar as her Alpha had something to do with the speed in which they'd been brought back home.

The hacker admitted he was a little curious as to why everyone had returned and not just Cougar. They could have been issued another sniper and redeployed to go burn some more opium fields. He figured Clay must have pulled some strings to keep them stateside until Cougar was all done being a good Samaritan. Jensen snorted to himself at the thought and casually rubbed his shoulder against the door frame as he exited his room.

He passed groups of people, both Alpha's and beta's. All watched him, he could feel their eyes on his skin, undressing him, devouring him. He was halfway to the mess hall when it all got too much and he turned to head back to his room, blind panic making him stumble against the wall. He kept moving, faster and faster until he got back, slamming the door behind him and crawling under the blankets to tremble while his skin flashed cold and hot.

His brain threw symptoms at him. Scent marking well traveled areas, seductive posturing, hot and cold flashes, increased affection towards unmated Alpha's, becoming more vocal to draw attention to ones self. He bit back a whimper, starting to pant as another flash of heat shuddered over his skin followed by intense cold that left him shivering and clutching at the blankets. 

No. Anything but this. Anything. He was maturing into his worst nightmare and there was nothing he could do about it but hide here until it passed. Only a week, five days of running cold and hot would be infinitly better then giving into his base urges and submitting. He refused to believe it, despite the changes his body was undergoing. He couldn't be beta, he wouldn't. 

XxX XxX

“You seen Jensen around?” It was odd for the hacker to miss a meal. Pooch frowned up at Roque and shook his head.

“He's probably playing that online game he was talking about the other day. That World of Starcraft one.” Pooch mumbled, tearing a bite out of the day old bun he'd gotten with lunch.

“Idiot kid would starve if we weren't watching out for him.” Roque rolled his eyes and headed for the room Jensen usually shared with Cougar. He was alone now until Cougar finished his Alpha run with the Lieutenant Colonel who'd requested him. Which naturally meant he'd forget to breathe if someone wasn't there to remind him. 

Roque rapped sharply on Jensen's door and listened for an answer. There was a shuffle of something, then Jensen yelling at him to leave. He sounded incredibly young and scared and Roque listened to his instincts and pushed the door open. He was immediately bombarded by the smell, lust laden with pheromones. The smell of a beta maturing for the first time. It made his stomach clench with basic, visceral need, the kind of need he'd kill to fulfill.

Roque stepped back out of the room and slammed the door, taking a breath to clear his head. “Jensen, are you alright?”

“No I'm not alright. Fuck off. Stay away from me.”

“You're in heat.”

“I fucking _know_.” Jensen's voice broke on the last word and Roque remembered how adamant he'd been when he'd first joined. That being a beta was nothing to be happy about, that he'd slit his own throat before he'd willingly submit if he matured as a beta. Well fuck.

“I'll....I'll be back.” Roque took a breath, then turned to glare murder at the group of Alpha's that were loosely ranged down the hall, staring at the door with hunger. He made a split second decision and gave the door a full body rub, spreading his scent over it as a warning that he'd laid claim to this particular beta. There were things he needed to arrange. A panic room had to be set up, an Alpha chosen.

XxX XxX

It was getting painful, the flashes of heat that curled under his skin lasted longer then the cold, but the cold burned deeper. Chilled straight to the bone and left him breathless and shaking. He didn't know how much time had passed since Roque had stumbled across him, but it felt like hours. He felt light headed, a side effect from the sudden burst of hormones flowing from his pituitary into his blood. The scent of his pheromones flooding the room was strong he could smell them, burning into his own nostrils and making his blood burn hotter.

He needed hands on his skin to cool it. Needed someone's naked flesh on his own to sooth the burn. He couldn't think like this, could barely breathe with it. He was restless, pawing at his shirt. He didn't know up from down, the light was too bright, the air on his bare arms was too cold, the blankets too rough. Everything was too much.

There were voices on the other side of the door. He didn't recognize them, didn't understand the words, didn't _want_ them. Then Roque was right there and his body reacted, even as his brain tried to catch up and warn him that this was a bad idea. He knew it, knew that this would only make it worse, that he needed to resist, but he couldn't. He wasn't in control anymore, the heat was. It felt like the change on a full moon, stretching along his spine and burning hot under his skin.

“Come on Jensen, come on. Stand up, one foot in front of the other.”

“I....I don't want...this. Make it stop.” Jensen hissed, took a deep breath and looked Roque dead in the eyes. “Not Cougar.”

“It won't be. I promise.” Jensen squeezed his eyes shut, hanging onto the last shred of his sanity and felt it slipping away. “Who do you want?” Roque's voice was gruff, but his intent was good. He wouldn't be like Cougar, wouldn't feel the need to mark and dominate. 

“Can you.........please.” 

“Sure kid, sure.”

“Oh fuck.....” His control snapped, heat chasing every last thought out of his head and he lunged at Roque who caught him, using his height and strength against the beta who snapped for his throat, refusing to give up without a fight. 

The medics following Roque injected Jensen with a mild sedative that would keep his heat under control and Roque muscled him out of the room and down the hall, loading him into the back of a van where he snarled at everyone. Beta's like this were rare, and dangerous. They fought back and fought back hard. An inferior Alpha would have his throat torn out if he couldn't force the beta into submission.

There was no way Cougar would have survived this if he'd been the first one on the scene. The sniper was a strong Alpha, but he didn't have the physical strength to bend Jensen to his will. It excited Roque, the thrill of the fight. It had been a long time since he'd met a beta that put up that kind of a fight. The scar on his right eye bearing testament to just how violent the last fight had gotten.

XxX XxX

Two days had passed since Jensen and Roque had gone into the panic room. Forty two hours of Jensen being forced into submission time after time. Snarling and fighting back just as hard as the first time, the need to make the Alpha prove himself running strong through his blood. 

Roque had bite marks and bloody scratches up and down his body. He ignored the burn of them as he pinned Jensen again, one of the hacker's arms tucked up high on his back, pressing his chest into the floor and using wide fingers to stretch and slick the hacker. No reason to make this hurt anymore then it had to.

He leaned forward, biting the back of Jensen's neck to signal his complete dominance over the beta and slowly pressed inside. Jensen was still tight, Roque only having fucked him twice before this. Jensen fought dirty. He was a slippery little bastard and not afraid to fight mean, digging teeth or nails into whatever part of Roque he could get at.

Jensen was growling rhythmically, grinding back against Roque. His growls turned to whines, then mewls and yowls, arching back harder and faster until Roque released his grip on the hackers arm and slid a hand under Jensen's stomach to strip his cock fast and hard. Jensen came on a loud howl, slumping to the ground and waiting till Roque disengaged. The Alpha didn't back away this time, instead jacking himself off to stripe across Jensen's thighs and smearing the semen into Jensen's skin. A clear sign that the hacker had been dominated, the scent so think Roque could taste it at the back of his throat.

Jensen went still for a few moments, brain processing the latest turn of events. He sniffed deeply, then turned to face Roque who waited, limbs loose and ready to see what the hacker would do next. Jensen's eyes were narrow, watching Roque for movement. Finally, after long moments of Jensen growling, the hacker flopped onto his side, the feline version of submission. 

Roque stepped forward, intent on making the hacker eat before their next round. He had no doubts the show of submission was only temporary and he intended on using it to feed Jensen, keep his strength up, because the next few days were probably going to be just as bad, if not worse then the first two.

XxX XxX

A week after Cougar had first gone into the panic room with Lt. Colonel Anderson he was stepping back out. A smirk on his face and a spring in his step. He'd had no contact with the outside world, no knowledge that Jensen had matured and gone into heat three days after the Lt. Colonel. So it surprised him to see both Pooch and Clay sitting in the chairs provided in the hall, both reading magazines and waiting for something. 

“Clay?” The Colonel looked up, then shared a glance with Pooch and cleared his throat. They all knew Cougar's intentions with Jensen, had all witnessed the sniper following the hacker around both in human form and feline. There were no secret that Cougar had the full intentions of marking Jensen. “What's wrong?”

“Nothing's wrong.”

“Then why are you here?”

“We're waiting.”

“For who?”

“Jensen.” Pooch muttered and Cougar sighed heavily. He'd hoped desperately that the hacker would mature as a beta, but apparently that hadn't been the case, and now he was stuck watching Jensen from afar and wishing things had turned out differently for the both of them.

“Who's he in with.” Pooch and Clay shared a glance again and Pooch looked away, refusing to meet Cougar's eyes. Clay stared at him steadily, one Alpha to another.

“He's in with Roque. He went beta.”

“What?” Cougar's snarl broke the silence of the hall and Pooch flinched, he got up and stalked down the hall way, not wanting to be a part of this, because it was going to be nasty.

“Cougar. This is the best thing for everyone.”

“Why?”

“They're in room seventeen. Go see for yourself.” Clay used his magazine to point Cougar towards the appropriate door that led to a small room with mirrored glass. He could look into the room, but the occupants wouldn't see him watching. Normally Cougar would never dream of watching another Alpha cover a beta, but this was a special case. 

He pushed open the door, glared at the technician keeping an eye on the pair in the other room, then turned to face the glass and froze. They were full out brawling, Roque staying steady on his feet and keeping Jensen's hands away from his neck and face. Jensen kept circling, looking for any weakness that he could exploit and it was only Roque's speed and superior strength that kept him from being seriously injured.

There was a split second break in between Jensen's attacks and Roque took it. Roaring out a challenge and tackling Jensen to the ground. The fight became more vicious, Jensen digging his teeth into whatever portion of Roque's skin he could reach before the XO got a good grip on him and flipped him onto his stomach, pinning him to the floor.

Cougar left after that, not wanting to see anymore. He knew Clay was right, knew that if he was in that room with Jensen he would already have been dead. It wasn't the fighting that he would've been worried about, he could hold his own against larger opponents. But this Jensen wouldn't hold back. He'd fight back, fight hard, and would in no way submit to an Alpha that couldn't make him submit.

The sniper snarled as he passed Clay, intent on heading off base and drinking until he forgot the equal parts of animal rage and lust in Jensen's eyes at having Roque's weight on his back, pressing him into the padded floor.


	5. Make The world Go Away

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You try to Alpha your way outta this I'll break your fucking jaw.

Cougar had been acting strange ever since Jensen had finished his heat, and Jensen had chalked it up to him being a pissy, neurotic bastard and had left Cougar alone to work out his issues, but it had already been a month. If someone had told him two months before he would have missed the Sniper's stalkerish behavior he would have laughed himself sick. He had just started getting used to Cougar always being there, poking his nose into Jensen's business and trying to assert himself over Jensen's life.

And now, the moment Jensen entered a room Cougar would leave. He wouldn't talk to Jensen unless it was for a mission. He didn't even look at Jensen, just let his eyes slide past the hacker like he didn't exist. He'd let it go for thirty days, but now it felt less like a grudge and more like a thirteen year old who'd been stood up at the movies. Cougar had gone so far as to switch rooms, leaving Jensen to room with Roque while he roomed with Pooch.

Jensen bided his time, lurking in the living room until Cougar came in from outside, looking slightly sun burnt and cranky. It probably wasn't the best time fort his conversation, but Jensen would be damned to hell and back if he let it go for one more day. He waited until Cougar had gone into his room, then shut down his laptop and made his move. 

Cougar was pulling off his shirt when Jensen entered, shutting the door behind him and flicking the lock. Cougar glanced back, took in the hacker and turned away like the door had been blown open by the wind.

“What the fuck is your problem?” Jensen snarled, eyes narrowing when Cougar sniffed in disdain and kept ignoring him. “You pissed off that Roque got there first, or you pissed off that I would've killed you?” There was a low growl coming from Cougar, a sign to stop while he was ahead. Not that Jensen ever listened to warnings. “You think I would have let you anywhere _near_ me smelling like the bitch you fucked?” 

“Jensen.” There was a low note of Alpha in the tone of Cougar's voice, something that normally would have diffused the situation, made the beta back down in submission. But Jensen was different, Jensen was special. The Alpha in Cougar's voice only made him angrier.

“You try to Alpha your way outta this I'll break your fucking jaw.” Cougar turned to stare at the beta in front of him, shoulders hunched inwards and fury painted on his features until it nearly sizzled in the air. It stopped him cold. No beta had ever stood up to him, ever talked back to him, ever refused to submit. He snarled and Jensen snarled back, hands curling into fists, knuckles white with tension. “You were on me like white on rice before, and suddenly it's like I'm diseased. I'm perfectly happy with you not being a fucking stalker, but I thought we were friends. I thought I meant more to you then the possibility of a beta.” He stopped, shaking with anger and sucked in a breath. “You're just like the rest of them, ever Alpha I've ever known. You don't care about anything but your next fuck. Which beta's gonna spread their legs for you. How much DNA you can spread out.”

“It's not like that.”

“Fuck you.” Jensen grimaced, face contorting with the effort it took to hold back his shift. The cat was screaming just under his skin, wanting to rake it's claws across Cougar's lying face. “The least you can do is tell me the truth.”

“It's not like that.”

“Yeah, why don't you tell me what it's like.”

“You chose an Alpha. You chose Roque.”

“I chose.....I _chose_...” Jensen let out a strangled howl and pushed back as hard as he could, refusing to shift in front of Cougar. “I did _not_ choose an Alpha. I will _never_ choose an Alpha. I don't _want_ an Alpha.” Cougar's body language went from angry and closed off to interested in the blink of an eye and Jensen snarled out a warning. Stupid bastard only listened to what he wanted to, and Jensen would bet his next paycheck that Cougar had stopped listening after _I did not choose an Alpha_.

“Why?”

“Why what?”

“Roque would be a good Alpha. Why didn't you choose him?”

“Because I don't want an Alpha you stupid bastard.” Jensen snarled, digging fingernails into his palms until the sting brought him back to himself. He hated how Cougar could get under his skin with just a few words or a casual smirk. Jensen took a careful breath, trying to ignore the shaky feeling of the cat prowling around his bones. “Why did I think talking to you would be a good thing?” Jensen muttered, ignoring the spark of interest in Cougar's eye, the way his nostrils flared, the slight curve of his lips into a possessive smirk.

XxX XxX

After Jensen's outburst things slowly got better. Cougar would wait until Jensen sat and then stealthily move across the space until he was sitting beside Jensen, thigh pressed against the hackers and breathing in his scent.

For the most part, Jensen ignored the behavior, treating the sniper like an annoyance that could be looked over when the sniper started getting overly possessive. Every now and again Roque would step in, making Cougar back off the hacker who was getting close to his breaking point. It was a dangerous move, as Cougar saw it as Roque challenging him, one Alpha to another. The first time Cougar had snarled at Roque, the XO had raised his eyebrows and left the room.

Cougar had seen it as a win until he left the room ten minutes later with a black eye and a split lip. He developed a grudging respect for Jensen's abilities to look after himself. It made Cougar a little more wary of where he challenged other Alpha's around the hacker. Roque had already learned that lesson, already having a healthy respect for Jensen's teeth after a week of forcing him to submit multiple times.

XxX XxX

Every time they ended up in California, waiting on orders and deployment, the Losers made it a tradition to spend an afternoon in a bar that was one step up from sleazy. Every corner had some sort of nefarious character engaged in a shady deal. It was where Clay tended to meet his most _volatile_ dates, the dates that turned into his most notorious exes.

Clay had been adamant about keeping Jensen out of bars, declaring them to be dangerous to the entire team as they'd most likely end up fighting off potential suitors. Jensen was a specially trained spec ops soldier, he could kill a man with a paper clip and a piece of bubble gum, build a bomb from various house hold cleaners. And he smelled like a beta, nothing else mattered once an Alpha had that scent.

Clay had ordered Jensen to stay on base while the rest of the team went out to blow off some steam. He'd figured this would be something Jensen wouldn’t push, that his tech would understand why Clay was enforcing this as a measure of safety, not only for Jensen, but for the rest of them too. Jensen hadn't pushed the matter, instead he'd gone to sulk in his room, turning his back on Clay even when the man had been trying to explain why he didn't want Jensen coming with them.

It hadn't been a surprise when Cougar had backed him up the whole way, not with the way the sniper kept Jensen in sight at all times, ready to jump in at a moments notice. What had been a surprise was Roque stepping up and telling Clay that he would keep an eye on Jensen, not that he thought Jensen would need to be protected. Out of all of them, Roque was the only one who had no cause to doubt Jensen's ability to protect himself.

Clay had stood firm, refusing to let Jensen come with them. It hadn't been a big deal when he'd still smelled like a cub with milk teeth, just growing into his legs. There were Alpha's in that bar that wouldn't care if a beta was in heat or not, they'd smell his availability and move in to stake their claim. It would have been different if Jensen was matemarked, if he belonged to an Alpha. He could have come along with no problems, other then his Alpha having to break a few faces, but to bring an unmarked beta to an Alpha bar was just asking for trouble.

“He's not coming with us Roque.”

“Clay, I'm telling you, he can take care of himself.”

“He's an unmarked beta Roque. I'm not taking that chance.”

“Fine. Then I'm not coming either.” The SIC sniffed and crossed his arms and Clay took a moment to remember that Roque could usurp the chain of command any time he wanted to. It was only his grudging respect for the Colonel that kept him from snapping Clay's throat anytime they disagreed.

“Jensen is safe here.” Cougar spoke up from behind Clay, watching Roque from underneath the brim of his hat. All the sniper cared about was Jensen remaining unmarked, everything else was obsolete. 

“And now he'll be even safer. Go out, have some drinks, find some Lupa to fuck.” The term meant a beta that took man made pheromones to stay in perpetual heat, fucking any Alpha that had the money. “Don't worry about Jensen, I'll take good care of him.” Roque bared his teeth in a vicious grin. 

Roque wasn't out to challenge Cougar for the hacker that had had the misfortune of maturing as a beta. But there was no way he was just going to let Cougar make his move, not when the sniper had a history of moving from beta to beta, covering them when they went into heat, and then moving on to the next one. Jensen didn't deserve an Alpha that only saw him as a prize to be won, a trophy to be flaunted.

“Roque.” Clay infused his voice with Alpha and Roque's eyes narrowed to slits, his hackles raising at the unspoken challenge. Clay watched him, knowing he had to chose his next words very carefully. Roque had always been an unstable Alpha, ready to snap at anyone who challenged him. It was why Clay had been so shocked when his SIC started paying closer attention to the hacker, keeping himself between Jensen and Cougar. Roque had never seemed like the type of Alpha to take a mate, ever.

“Clay.”

“Jensen doesn't need a baby sitter. You staying behind will only make him angry.”

“Because you pay so much attention to Jensen's moods.” Roque's shoulders dropped and Clay could see him visibly calming himself. A year before he would have lashed out, leading to a fight that would have landed both of them in the infirmary. “He's going to sulk until you get back, and once you start telling him stories of who punched who, and what sort of Lupa's Cougar got free blowjobs from, he's either going to ignore you until he has to talk, or he'll lash out. He's beta Clay, he's not submissive.”

“He's still not coming with us.”

“Then what are you waiting for? I never liked that fucking bar, I just went because it seemed like the easiest way to keep all you fuckers happy.”

XxX XxX

Jensen looked over at the knock on the door, sniffed in disdain and ignored it, going back to the movie he had playing on his lap top. He didn't want to hear Clay's theories on why he wasn't allowed to be a team player when they were pretending to be civilians. And if it was Cougar, he hella wasn't opening the door. He wasn't in the mood to pretend the snipers Alpha antics were just a funny quirk, that they didn't make him want to snap Cougar's neck every time the sniper subtly scent marked him.

There was a scrape of something being inserted into the lock, then the soft click of tumblers being moved into position and the door was pushed open. Roque tucked his lock pick back into his pocket and strode into the room, shutting the door behind him and flopping down on the spare bed. Jensen refused to share the room with anyone when they were on base. Pooch roomed with Roque and Clay roomed with Cougar, an arrangement that kept everyone alive and well.

“What are you doing here?”

“Didn't feel like going out.”

“Go away Roque.”

“What, you think I'm taking pity on you 'cause Clay won't let you go play with the other children?” Roque sneered. “I hate that fucking bar. I've always hated that fucking bar.”

“So what you're really saying is 'Thanks Jensen, for giving me a reason to stay in'. You're welcome Roque.”

“Shut up Jensen.” Roque stretched and yawned, putting one arm behind his head and looking over at the hacker who had gone back to his movie, a smaller computer on his lap keeping him connected to the digital world. “What're you watching?”

“I forget what it's called. But it's this shifter who got cursed by a witch and only turns into a human on the full moon and stays in his animal form the rest of the time.”

“That's fucked up.”

“I know.” They lapsed into a comfortable silence that was only broken by occasional bouts of shouting coming from the movie. Roque dropped into a light doze, only waking when Jensen got up from his bunk to grab a set of headphones to plug into the computer.

XxX XxX

Roque had made the executive decision to pass out on the spare bed in Jensen's room. He figured Jensen knew the real reason he was sleeping here, and it wasn't just because he was a lazy asshole. But the hacker never said anything, simply changing into his sleep pants and diving under his blankets, forming a nest around himself in a way that made Roque smirk. Sometimes Jensen seemed perpetually seven. 

Clay, Cougar and Pooch got back just after one in the morning. Pooch stunk of booze and the cheap cigars he habitually liked to smoke. Clay and Cougar stunk of cheep liquor and cheaper women. They sauntered onto base like they owned it. Clay and Pooch headed to their rooms, Clay stopping only once and trying to tell Cougar that breaking into Jensen's room while he was shitfaced and smelling of four different beta's probably wasn't the best idea.

Cougar of course ignored him, and rather then stick around to see the aftermath that would no doubt end in a blood bath with Cougar on the receiving end, he kept on his way. Cougar pulled out his lock picks and started to work on the door at the same time as Pooch stuck his head out of his room.

“You guys seen Roque?” Clay shook his head, the alcohol making his thought patterns functioning a little slower then usual. He blinked once and then groaned, rubbing a hand down his face and heading towards Jensen's room where Cougar was trying to pick the lock with liquor-shaky hands.

Clay reached Cougar the same moment Cougar popped the lock. He pushed open the door and stepped inside, no doubt harboring the intent to claim. Normally Clay wouldn't even try to keep Cougar from getting his ass kicked, but there was only one other place where Roque could be, and he really didn't need his SIC and his sniper fighting to the death. He could get another SIC, but a sniper of Cougar's level was difficult to come by, and he'd have to call in quite a few favors to find another one.

Cougar froze and sniffed, head snapping to the spare bunk. The sniper snarled, a single warning before his attack. Roque's eyes snapped open just before Cougar sprang and he rolled off the bed, hitting the floor at the same time Cougar hit the mattress. Roque surged to his feet, watching Cougar carefully. The sniper was small, but he was fast, and that made him dangerous.

Clay heaved a sigh once and waded in to stop this thing before it got bad. There was a snuffle from the next bed and then Jensen was shoving blankets off of his legs and climbing out of bed. He flicked on the light switch and waited until Cougar's eyes got used to the extra light.

“There had better be an _amazing_ fucking reason for why there's a party in my room.”

“...” Clay opened his mouth, then shut it at the seething glare Jensen shot his way. He slowly backed out of the room and shut the door. He was pretty sure Jensen wouldn't need his help with this.

“I can smell you on everything. I burn for you.” Cougar's voice was like aged whiskey, he slunk off the bed and padded over to where Jensen stood.

“If I wanted crappy dialogue I'd read that shitty Full Moon series.” Jensen snapped, pushing Cougar back a full step and rubbing his hands over his face. “You smell like a fucking brothel Cougar. And you have the audacity, the fucking _nerve_ to come into my room _while_ I'm sleeping.” Jensen stopped, fingers curled into tight fists. 

“You didn't choose Roque. Why is he here?”

“I got an invite.”

“Shut up. You're not helping.”

“You invited him here. To the room where you sleep?”

“Fine, _fine_. You want to get all Alpha on me. Yes, I did invite him. I like Roque more then you at the moment. Because he doesn't except me to go belly up when ever he walks in the room.”

“I wouldn't say no.” Roque commented and smirked when Jensen snarled at him. “Just saying.” 

“Cougar, do you actually think you can come in here stinking of more then one Lupa and expect me to submit to you? You thinking I'd just roll over and let you claim me? Or were you planning on biting me while I slept?” Cougar shrugged, the gleam in his eyes showing both Jensen and Roque his obvious choice had been the sneakier version.

“I guess it's a good thing I was sleeping in here.” Roque commented lightly, meeting Cougar's glare with his own predatory gaze. 

If Cougar was sober, he would have assessed the situation and understood that Roque was purposefully trying to piss him off. As it was, the alcohol in his system brought his cat to the surface where it raced through his blood, screaming at him to take what was his, to prove to Jensen that he was a stronger Alpha then Roque. 

He leapt at Roque, intent on bring down the larger Alpha and bathing in his blood. From behind him Jensen snarled and Roque simply stepped to the side, letting Cougar slam up against the wall. The sniper whirled, eyes glowing as his cat demanded he shift, bring down this Alpha and claim the beta for his own. His spine cracked, fingers burning as his nails grew into claws. He lunged at Roque again, snarling when the SIC side stepped for a second time. 

The shift abruptly stopped when Jensen stepped forward and cuffed him solidly across the head. The blow, combined with the alcohol in his blood caused him to topple over onto the spare bed Roque had been sleeping on.

“I am going to make this very clear to you Carlos.” The sniper flinched at the sound of his name. The rush of adrenaline from moments before cleared his head and he felt sober enough to question what exactly he was doing here, and why he'd thought it would be a good idea to attempt to mark Jensen in the middle of the night. “You want me? Make me submit. Roque, Roque's already got the submission thing down. But you? I could rip out your throat tonight, disembowel you with the knife I keep under my pillow. I could end your life a hundred different ways without leaving this room. No more of this backhanded Alpha shit that you've been doing. Because it doesn't work if the beta you're after is stronger then you.”

“So wait, you're saying if I wanted to mark you...I could?” Roque sounded confused and Jensen chuffed at him, glaring.

“No asshole. No one is fucking marking me. I'm using it as an example, because we all fucking know Cougs couldn't make me submit. Not without help.”

“I could mark you if I wanted.” Roque said almost conversationally. “I made you submit before, I could do it again.”

“I'll do it.” Jensen and Roque both looked down at Cougar, sitting on the bed and watching Jensen with a laser focus. “I will make you submit to me.”

“Not if he submits to me first.” Roque's gaze was flat, looking at Cougar for the first time like he was competition and not a team mate.

“Get out. Both of you.” Jensen snarled, eyes glowing. “You assholes remember about my preference of death before submission?” His face was a mask of misery and betrayal. “Keep this Alpha bullshit up and I'll request a transfer. Either of you make a mark on me and I'll slit my own throat.”

“We'd be good together Jensen.” Roque commented softly, keeping his eyes on Cougar. “You can feel it, same as me.”

“He's mine.” Cougar snarled and surged off the bed, narrowly dodging the solid punch Jensen aimed his way.

“I. Don't. Submit. End of story.”

“You will be mine.” Cougar turned to pin him with a feline stare that had Jensen hissing. “You were meant for me. I can feel it in my bones.”

“Get. _out_.” Jensen roared, allowing the tiniest shift to overcome his body. His eyes glowed, teeth sharpening to points and his fingernails thickening into claws. It hurt to hold this half form for longer then ten minutes, but as a bonus it made him deadlier, giving him ten tiny knives to use at his disposal.

“This isn't over.” Cougar murmured, keeping a safe distance from Jensen and creeping out the door to his shared room with Clay down the hall.

“Sorry about that kid.” Roque rubbed a hand over the back of his neck and shrugged a little, smelling sheepish and apologetic. “Seemed like the only way to keep him off your back.”

“What?”

“If he thinks I'm competition, he'll stop following you around.”

“ _What_?” Jensen shifted back to full human, staring at Roque like he'd grown another head.

“You don't _actually_ think I want to take a mate do you? Mates are a weak point for any Alpha, everyone knows that.”

“So...”

“No. I don't want to mark you, I don't want you as a mate, I don't want to make you submit. Go back to bed, it's gonna be an interesting day tomorrow and you need the beauty sleep. Lots of it. As much as you can get.” Roque grinned, hit the light, and crawled back onto the spare bed, leaving Jensen standing there in the dark, more then a little confused.

Finally he stopped trying to work out what had just happened and crawled back into his own nest of blankets. Hoping Roque was right about Cougar paying more attention to another Alpha. Cougar would never be able to physically make him submit, but he was a sneaky fucker and always got what he was after, no matter the consequences.

**Author's Note:**

> So, I finally decided to bring this sucker over from LiveJournal. It's taken me long enough. *rolls eyes*
> 
> Anyway, just wanted to say that this fic has some dub-con and it's been described as some people as 'quite triggery'. So if you've come here looking for a sweet, loving shifter-verse where nothing is wrong and everyone is happy, turn back now. This is not that verse.


End file.
